COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland men's wrestling team (3-5, 0-2 Big Ten) will travel to Evanston, Illinois for the 53^rd annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships December 29-30. Northwestern will host the two-day event at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

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Setting the staGe

• Maryland is coming off a 30-9 defeat to No. 4 Nebraska in its last match on December 11. Despite the team decision to the powerhouse Huskers, the Terps picked up two upset victories at the XFINITY Center Pavilion.
• Redshirt Senior Lou Mascola (157) sealed his third straight victory and second pin of the season against the Huskers, earning a fall over then-No. 10 Tyler Berger at 4:06. Mascola is now 8-1 overall on the season with a team-best six dual match wins.
• Fellow redshirt senior Geoffrey Alexander (133) was also sharp against Nebraska in his 2015-16 dual match debut, picking up a 6-2 decision over then-No. 9 Eric Montoya. Alexander now boasts a 3-0 record on the season, and was recently featured in the Maryland Wrestling Senior Spotlight series.
• For their efforts, Mascola and Alexander both cracked the top 20 in the latest InterMat Wrestling NCAA Division I Rankings. Mascola is slated 15^th, while Alexander is currently the No. 13 wrestler in his weight class nationwide.  
• Maryland is 2-1 in its past three dual matches, picking up victories over Hofstra (11/29) and Drexel (12/5). Maryland got some revenge on Hofstra after dropping a 29-12 decision to the Pride at last season's Grapple at the Garden. The Terps came out ahead with 24-13 victory.
• Maryland also had some standout performances at the Nittany Lion Open on December 6 in State College, Pa. Geoffrey Alexander (133) was in action for the first time this season after missing the first month of the season due to injury. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native was dominant, winning his two matches by technical fall and major decision.
• Redshirt-sophomore Dawson Peck (285) also went undefeated at the event, posting two pins and a 3-2 decision over NC State's Mike Kosoy.
• Redshirt-junior Billy Rappo (125) continues to lead the Terps in total victories this season, now 13-5 on the year after going 5-2 at the Nittany Lion Open.
• Freshman Brendan Burnham delivered the Terps' biggest surprise in Iowa City on November 20 when he took out the Hawks' Burke Paddock, 9-5. Burnham is now 5-3 on the season and has won three out of his last four matches.

scouting The Tournament

(Midlands Home Page) (Midlands History)

• 49 teams from across the country will make the trip to Evanston for the two-day championship.
• Nine teams from the Big Ten will have wrestlers entered in the event, including a trio of past opponents for Maryland this season in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska.
• Mascola and Alexander were both named to the annual Midlands Championships Committee top contestants list in a release made by Northwestern on December 18. Seeding for the tournament will take place the night before the event on Monday, December 28.
• Iowa secured the team championship last year after producing four individual champions and 12 total top eight finishers. Six of those wrestlers, including 2014 champions Cory Clark (133) and Nathan Burak (197) are listed as top contestants by the Midlands Championship Committee.   

maryland at midlands

• Maryland has had 28 wrestlers place in the top eight all-time at the Midlands Championships since 1986.
• The Terps have had 19 top eight finishers since the 2008 season, producing at least one in every season.
• Maryland has had three wrestlers win their respective weight classes all-time, including both Jimmy Sheptock (184) and Christian Boley (197) during the 2013 season. Alex Krom took the 141 pound crown in 2009.
• Redshirt senior Lou Mascola (157) recorded the fastest fall at the event last season, pinning Wabash's Reece Lefever in 22 seconds. Mascola went on to place sixth in his weight class.
• The Terps also return three other wrestlers that placed in 2014 in redshirt-junior Shyheim Brown (141), redshirt-senior Josh Snook (174) and redshirt-sophomore Dawson Peck (285). Brown took eighth, Peck was fifth, while Snook was Maryland's highest placing wrestler at fourth overall.
• UMD's four top eight finishers at last season's Midlands were the most ever in a single year for the program.

next up

• Maryland will also have select wrestlers entered in the Wilkes Open (Dec. 28) and Franklin & Marshall Open (Dec. 30) this week. The squad returns to dual match action on Friday, January 8 when the team travels to face Big Ten counterpart Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.

 -Terps-